ARKANSAS OR NEBRASKA IN ITS NEXT MATCHUP FRIDAY NIGHT. A SMALL BIRD AT THE BIRMINGHAM ZOO IS GETTING A SECOND CHANCE, THANKS TO SOME BIG HELP FROM UAB DENTAL EXPERTS. BEAUREGARD, A GREEN ARACARI BIRD, LOST PART OF HIS UPPER BEAK AFTER AN INJURY WHEN HE WAS JUST A FEW MONTHS OLD. SPECIALISTS AT THE BIRMINGHAM ZOO TURNED TO UAB’S SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY, WHERE A TEAM OF EXPERTS USED DENTAL TECHNOLOGY TO DESIGN AND CREATE A CUSTOM PROSTHETIC BEAK. THE TEAM MATCHED THE SIZE, WEIGHT AND EVEN THE COLOR OF THE BEAK, SO IT WOULD NOT INTERFERE WITH THE BIRD’S FLIGHT OR SOCIAL BEHAVIOR. YOU CAN SEE THE UPPER BEAK IS FRACTURED ABOUT MIDWAY DOWN, SO THEY WERE VERY CONCERNED THAT THAT THE BIRD WASN’T GOING TO BE ABLE TO FUNCTION AND KEEP ITSELF WITH ADEQUATE NUTRITION. HE STARTED FUNCTIONING WITH IT 15 MINUTES AFTER WE LEFT. OH, WOW. WHICH WHICH REALLY EXCEEDED ALL OF OUR EXPECTATIONS. NOW NEARLY 11 MONTHS OLD, BEAUREGARD HAS ADJUSTED TO THE PROSTHETIC
News We Love: Bird thrives after receiving custom prosthetic beak
A young bird at the Birmingham Zoo in Alabama is eating, flying and socializing normally again after receiving a custom-made prosthetic beak designed by specialists at the UAB School of Dentistry.Beauregard, a green aracari related to the toucan family, damaged his rhinotheca, or upper beak, when he was about 3 months old. The injury caused him to lose part of his upper mandible, raising concerns that he would struggle to eat.“You can see the upper beak is fractured about midway down,” said Maxillofacial prosthodontist Dr. Michael Kase. “So they were very concerned that the bird wasn’t going to be able to function and keep itself with adequate nutrition.”After trying several methods to help Beauregard adapt, animal health specialists at the Birmingham Zoo turned to UAB for help.The team included Kase, dental prosthetist Chris Seidenfaden and oral surgeon Dr. Jay Ponto.Using materials commonly used for dental impressions, the group created a mold of Beauregard’s beak and developed a model using a dental articulator, a device typically used to make dental prosthetics such as dentures and crowns. From that model, the team designed and produced a custom prosthetic beak specifically for the bird.The prosthetic was carefully designed to match the size, weight and color of Beauregard’s natural beak so it would not interfere with his ability to fly or interact normally with other birds.“He started functioning with it 15 minutes after we left, which really exceeded all of our expectations,” said another specialist.Now nearly 11 months old, Beauregard has adjusted to the prosthetic and is once again behaving like a healthy young bird, according to zoo officials and the UAB dental team.
A young bird at the Birmingham Zoo in Alabama is eating, flying and socializing normally again after receiving a custom-made prosthetic beak designed by specialists at the UAB School of Dentistry.
Beauregard, a green aracari related to the toucan family, damaged his rhinotheca, or upper beak, when he was about 3 months old. The injury caused him to lose part of his upper mandible, raising concerns that he would struggle to eat.
“You can see the upper beak is fractured about midway down,” said Maxillofacial prosthodontist Dr. Michael Kase. “So they were very concerned that the bird wasn’t going to be able to function and keep itself with adequate nutrition.”
After trying several methods to help Beauregard adapt, animal health specialists at the Birmingham Zoo turned to UAB for help.
The team included Kase, dental prosthetist Chris Seidenfaden and oral surgeon Dr. Jay Ponto.
Using materials commonly used for dental impressions, the group created a mold of Beauregard’s beak and developed a model using a dental articulator, a device typically used to make dental prosthetics such as dentures and crowns. From that model, the team designed and produced a custom prosthetic beak specifically for the bird.
The prosthetic was carefully designed to match the size, weight and color of Beauregard’s natural beak so it would not interfere with his ability to fly or interact normally with other birds.
“He started functioning with it 15 minutes after we left, which really exceeded all of our expectations,” said another specialist.
Now nearly 11 months old, Beauregard has adjusted to the prosthetic and is once again behaving like a healthy young bird, according to zoo officials and the UAB dental team.
